ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 385 



of the Uromyces form. Cultures on H. purpurea gave negative results. 

 Sheldon is of opinion that Houstonia is infected during the summer and 

 autumn, and that the mycelium remains dormant until spring. The 

 teleutospores germinate in the living plant, and it is rare in such cases 

 that there is any aacidial stage. Successful culture experiments were 

 also made with Uromyces Andropogonis, and aecidia were produced on 

 violet leaves. 



Origin of Specialisation and Heteroecism in Uredinese.* — W. 

 Krieg considers that a sudden change of host among rusts may he ex- 

 plained l>y close chemical affinity hetween the old and new; when the 

 transference is to a host of a different family of plants, he thinks that 

 there is a case of mutation of the fungus. The origin of heteroecism 

 may be explained also by mutation : at a certain stage in the history of 

 the rust, the uredo- and teleutospore stages established themselves on 

 some different plant. Brachy-, lepto- and mikro-forms arose, chiefly on 

 vegetation of early spring or in high altitudes, through the dropping out 

 of some spore forms. 



German Flora.f— W. Migula is issuing the above Flora in parts, 

 and the last published deals with Fungi. These are divided into the 

 four great groups of slime-fungi (Myxomycetes), algal-fungi (Phyco- 

 mycetes), ascus-fungi ( Ascomycetes), and basidio-fungi (Basidiomycetes). 

 It is with the first of these groups that the present issue deals, and 

 included under the Myxomycetes are the Acrasiese and the Photo- 

 myxineae, as well as Myxogastres or Mycetozoa. These organisms are 

 all saprophytes except the PhotomyxineEe including Plasmodiophora, 

 Tetramyxa, and Sorosphsera, all of them parasites on living plants. 

 The Myxogastres, by far the largest and most important group, are 

 divided into eleven families. In the second and third fascicles the 

 Myxomycetes are concluded and the Phycouiycetes are commenced. 

 These are divided into two orders, Oomycetes and Zygomycetes. 



Contribution to the Mycology of South Africa. J — W. Chees- 

 man spent some time in the autumn of 1905 in South Africa, and the 

 present list includes the fungi collected by him at Victoria Falls and 

 elsewhere. He notes the cosmopolitan character of many of the species, 

 and also the close affinity between the fungi of South Africa and 

 Australasia, an indication of the supposed ancient land-connection 

 between the two countries. One species, Gyphella Gheesmani Massee, is 

 new to science. A note is added by T. Gibbs ou the coprophilous fungi 

 of the same region. These grew on pellets of dung brought home by 

 Cheesman, and handed to Gibbs for cultivation and observation. There 

 is one new species, Goprinus Gheesmani Gibbs. Most of the forms are 

 Pyrenomycetes of the Sordarias family. 



Study of the Album Pelletier de Guerniac. — Fernand Gueguen 

 bears witness to the extreme value of the unpublished drawings of 



* Naturw. Wochenschr., neue folge, vii. pp. 561-73. See also Bot. Centralbl. 

 cviii. (1908) pp. 614-15. 



t Flora von Deutsckland, Krypt. Flora, lief 66-9 (1909) pp. 1-80 (23 pis., 4 col.), 

 t Joum. Linn. Soc. Bot., xxxviii. (1909) pp. 408-17 (pi.). 

 § Bull. Soc. Mycol. France, xxiv. (1908) pp. 247 T 69 (2 figs.). 



June 16th, 1909 2 D 



